I’ve been off the publishing grid for awhile, even off the consuming the Internet grid. This is a mix of partial vacation, taking care of some family things, an obsession with D&D, and the first break in my workaholic nature for…20…even 30 years?

It is time for a few new habits, rather than swirling around the old ones. The most counter-whatyoudthink is probably to start going into the office more. My work has an OK-good office in upper west Amsterdam. It is a 40 minute bike ride, each way. That amount of biking a day would both give me more exercise than I’ve ever had in my life and also more lazy-mindfulness time than the same.

The office lacks offices, which is the core problem with the anti-WFH people. One, I have a whole desk studio setup for all the videos and podcasts I do. There is no place for that at a regular white-collar office. Two, I bet if there were actually close-the-door offices at work, people would want to return. But open plan offices are shit. Everyone knows this, you don’t need to go selective-bias find some HBR article.

But that’s not for here. I have a whole screed in this for the newsletter someday.

The second change: when I say I’ve been “doing nothing,” what I mean is that I have not been publishing my own work. I have been spending a lot of time editing others, writing an MC script, and otherwise doing work that, I don’t know, helps others. I’m pretty sure I’m very good at editing and general content-creation, uh, “pedantry.” I always have been. There’s something in the weird mix of my skills at writing, narrative, speaking/podcasting, and then my total unwillingness to be confrontational, and then my taste that makes for comfortable, welcoming, but effective editing and shepherding. I don’t know. I should edit more people’s stuff.

After all, the Rhetoricians were my favorite. While Socrates and his crew were talking about some mystical bullshit of Truth, the Rhetoricians were getting shit done with words.

So, the days note. They are passing, and I’ve almost done enough of nothing to be ready to get back to doing more of something.